What then shall we say to these things?

²⁸ And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. ²⁹ For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰ And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified. ³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died--more than that, who was raised--who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." ³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 8:28-39)

This is a glorious passage. It is a wonderful passage. We write songs about it, we memorize it, we just love it. It is the pinnacle of Romans 8 which is the pinnacle of Romans. Really, really good stuff.

Well, mostly good stuff. You see, that stuff in verses 29 and 30 gets in the way. You know, "foreknew" and "predestined" ... that kind of stuff. Look, let's start with "God works all things together for good" and end with "I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" and be done with it. That's okay, right?

Well, perhaps. Except if we do we're missing something--something radically important. In verse 31 there is a pivotal phrase: "What then shall we say to these things?" You see, the glorious wonders of the rest of the passage are in response to a truth claim before. That truth claim includes the part we like--"God works all things together for good"--and the part we prefer not to deal with. But it is critical to the conclusion. What conclusion? "If God is for us, who can be against us?" "Who shall bring any charge against God's elect?" "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" Oh, yes, we really love those things, but we can only appropriate them if we have the premise.

So what is the premise on which we base our confidence of those wonderful conclusions? First, we know that God works all things together for good to those who love God. But that's not the end of the premise. There is a second part. Indeed, this second part is referenced in the conclusion. "Who shall bring any charge against God's elect?" You see, these promises of love and safety in Christ are only for "those who love God" and only secured by being "God's elect". We see this right in the text. "Those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son." Predestined. And then there is this glorious chain. "Those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified." Now, let's see ... which part of that is yours? Where do you factor in? What effort do you need to put forward to achieve or maintain it? Nothing. Nothing at all. From "foreknew" to "glorified", it is an act of God and unbroken. It is this wonderful statement on which Paul hinges the conclusions we love.

How can we be sure that God is for us? Because He is foreknowing and predestining and calling and justifying and glorifying us. On what can we pin our confidence that no one can bring an accusation against us? Because God is foreknowing and predestining and calling and justifying and glorifying us. How can we be sure that nothing at all can separate us from the love of God? Because He is foreknowing and predestining and calling and justifying and glorifying us. He works all things together for good to those who love Him.

I know. That whole "predestination" and "election" thing is a minefield, a point of contention. Deal with it however you will, except by setting it aside as unimportant. Because you really don't want to lose the glorious certainty we have of His care for us and our security in it. That is just too good to ignore. And it is all predicated on Him.